Saturday 26 January 2013

Has grace been misunderstood as license to sin ?



You don’t need a license to sin
It is because you are already a sinner and you have already sinned. Instead, you need grace for repentance from sin. Hence, a false prophet will not need to preach license to sin to make the people sin or keep them in sin. He will just preach anything to keep them from repentance. He can even preach God’s law, God’s grace, or even God’s words almost perfectly (to make them sin unknowingly and effortlessly). He may even challenge God’s people and say, “You can never find me preaching or encouraging people to sin in any of my sermons or videos. Hence, you have falsely condemn us.” He talks like someone who could have told Eve, “You must believe me because I never preach licence to sin. But I preach God’s command, and I can preach and interpret it better”. Hence, of course, a false prophet will never let you find any proof that he would cause you to sin if he wants you to believe him. He will still preach and interpret God’s commands. He can even sing and preach the law of God in Psalm 1, Psalm 34, Eph 6:1-3, and 1 Peter 2:10 beautifully. But, he would secretly condemn God’s command so that he can sell you a better promise like the one he sold to Eve in Gen 2:16-17, 3:2-6. He will always switch God’s commands ‘on and off’ with the intention to deceive.


Their subtle 'license to sin' argument':
  1. Since Abraham lied about his wife and still could become the righteousness of God, so can I
  2. Since King David committed adulteries and still could find favour with God, so can I
  3. Since many sinners today have sinned all kinds of sins and still could be considered as under grace, so can I (without any repentance)
They will argue, "We have NEVER said that since Abraham lied, so can I. Please don't falsely accuse us for preaching license to sin. We have only said that since Abraham lied and still could become the righteousness of God, we can be righteous too. Since David committed adulteries and still could find favour with God, we can find favour too. Since God would forgive all the sinners, God would forgive us too. We did not say that we can sin like them.. You've misunderstood us."
I will tell them, Since we can misunderstand you, so can the sinners, the believers, and the unrepentant 'Pharisees' too. Do you know why Jesus and His disciples would PREACH repentance clearly (without assuming that people would repent automatically) ? It's because they knew that if they preached only grace, they would be misunderstood. Grace without preaching of repentance could be misunderstood as license to sin. That's why we must PREACH repentance. Have you obeyed the Lord's command:
  • Luk 24:45-48 KJV  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,  (46)  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  (47)  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  (48)  And ye are witnesses of these things.
  • Act 17:30 KJV  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
  • Act 26:19-20 KJV  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  (20)  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.   
If you read Act 26:20 above again, you should know that God did not tell us to do the works of the law, but He has commanded us to do the works worthy of repentance. What is the works worthy of repentance ?
  • 1Jn 3:13-22 KJV  .. (15)  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.  (16)  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  (17)  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  (18)  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth  ..  (21)  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. (22)  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
Those are the works worthy of repentance. Please don't confuse the people and preach the works of repentance as the works of the law or the works of the Pharisees, the works of Moses' law, Old Covenant, Old Testament rituals, and circumcision. On the contrary, they are the works of the new believers. They are the works of God's law in the New Covenant under grace. Beloved, if we do God's law, who can condemn us (v21) ?

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